Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

The Cats Into Hats

Posted by samzenpus on

Robyn Eades, a Tasmanian grandmother, has taken the crazy cat lady thing to a whole new level. She runs a business that makes hats, purses, rugs and lots of other stuff out of cat skins. Most of her creations come from the skins of feral cats, however the trapper that provides her with most of her skins admits that his catch does include a few unlucky pets. "I feel like I am saving them from their fate. They are going to live forever in my creations," said Ms. Eades. She added, "They were just so soft and easy to skin. Wallabies were getting a bit hard as my hands are getting arthritic." Thanks to Robyn, you will be able to remember "Mittens" by having him turned into mittens.

16 comments

  1. I'd be offended but I wear a leather belt by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Psychotic much?

  2. There truly is more than one way. by netruner · · Score: 1

    And it looks like this lady knows a few of them.

    --



    DISCLAIMER: This post was not checked for speling and grammar- if you complain- you're a whiner
  3. little fellows by scottrocket · · Score: 1

    Make little mittins for other kittens.

  4. Halp! by Tatisimo · · Score: 1
    We're in ur sewing machine

    being fancy clothings

    --
    Give Kashyyyk back to the Wookies
  5. Eek a cat hat! by dutchcow · · Score: 1

    I like cats, this is just too much for my poor little heart, goodbye.

    --
    Sig's are overrated.
  6. Morally outrageous by FilterMapReduce · · Score: 1

    "[...] the trapper that provides her with most of her skins admits that his catch does include a few unlucky pets."

    That is criminally irresponsible and we should condemn both of them. Even if you aren't a pet person, this constitutes theft, at least.

    1. Re:Morally outrageous by morari · · Score: 1

      I do think that the statement (and action) is definitely in poor taste, however, it is the pet "owner's" responsibility to make sure that their animal is not running about loose.

      --
      "He who can destroy a thing, controls a thing." --Paul Atreides, Dune
    2. Re:Morally outrageous by FilterMapReduce · · Score: 1

      it is the pet "owner's" responsibility to make sure that their animal is not running about loose.

      That is true, but I don't think it gives the trapper the legal (or ethical) right to kill the animals indiscriminately. Any municipality will have clear laws about handling stray animals, and they most likely give at least some protection to the rights of the pet-owners in such cases. Since these cats are presumably not causing serious danger to life or property, anyone who thinks that the mere presence of another person's wayward pet entitles him to kill it, claim its carcass as his own property, and sell the fur for a profit is a thief in my view, and is almost certainly breaking local laws as well.

    3. Re:Morally outrageous by Farmer+Tim · · Score: 1

      You should have RTFA.

      I don't think it gives the trapper the legal (or ethical) right to kill the animals indiscriminately

      The trapper is in fact a Ranger employed by the National Parks & Wildlife Service to kill feral cats in a protected area. So he certainly does have the legal right, and it's not indiscriminate.

      Any municipality will have clear laws about handling stray animals, and they most likely give at least some protection to the rights of the pet-owners in such cases.

      Federal officer on Crown land: municipal laws don't apply, and the federal law says that an animal posing a threat to native fauna can be trapped or eliminated at the officer's discretion. A pet owner surrenders any rights by failing in their responsibility to control their animal as proscribed by law.

      Since these cats are presumably not causing serious danger to life or property...

      Wrong. What do cats, being nocturnal predators, do when they're out at night? THEY HUNT! And domestic cats still hunt for sport regardless of how well they're fed. A handful of loose cats can cause disproportionately large amounts of damage to bird, lizard and small mammal populations, which is precisely why there are Rangers out to eliminate them.

      ...anyone who thinks that the mere presence of another person's wayward pet entitles him to kill it, claim its carcass as his own property, and sell the fur for a profit is a thief in my view

      The fact that a Ranger isn't just "anyone" aside, in my view anyone who allows their pet to wander into a protected area is not just criminally negligent towards the welfare of their own animal, but a wanton environmental vandal who should be prosecuted to the full extent of law. A dead cat is getting off lightly under the circumstances.

      ...and is almost certainly breaking local laws as well.

      Wrong again. The only law being broken is by the cat owners who let their pets out where they shouldn't be. In that regard it's like parking in front of a fire hydrant: if your property gets damaged (windows broken and rolled into a ditch) because you left it somewhere it shouldn't have been, nobody is liable but you.

      FWIW I like cats, but away from homes they're an introduced pest wreaking havoc among species that have no natural defences against a predator that size. In that kind of environment pet owners have as much responsibility to their surroundings as their pets.

      --
      Blank until /. makes another boneheaded UI decision.
    4. Re:Morally outrageous by TENTH+SHOW+JAM · · Score: 1

      There is a law in Australia (at least in Victoria) that states that any cat or dog at least 100 meters from a house is a feral animal. (Insert sanity clauses about an animal on a leash etc.) So provided the trapper sets his traps away from houses, he is not criminally irresponsible.

      The laws were brought in to improve the chances of native animals survival.

      The morality of the situation is up to the individual. I'd prefer the ongoing existance of the bilby over the ongoing existance of a domesticated animal whose owner is too damn lazy to control.

      --
      A sig is placed here
      To display how futile
      English Haiku is
  7. Cat ... by strelitsa · · Score: 1

    ... the other OTHER white meat.

    --
    No mod points, no meta-moderating/Firehose/all the other free work Slashdot wants me to do.
  8. ... but not breaking any laws ... by tomhudson · · Score: 1
    No, he's not breaking the local laws.

    FTFA:

    Every week she takes delivery of frozen cat carcasses which have been trapped and shot by a local ranger employed to cull the population.

    ...

    Mr Burgess, who lures the cats to his traps with rotten cheese, said: "If it's got into my trap and it's a domestic cat, it should not be there. Any cat that gets into my trap will be dealt with. I take the rifle and shoot it in the head."

    1. Re:... but not breaking any laws ... by BalmyBrute · · Score: 1

      I would like to have a talk with this man, involving my foot and his ass.

    2. Re:... but not breaking any laws ... by tomhudson · · Score: 1

      Perhaps you should read the article first.

      The animals have been blamed for the decline in population of the rare orange-bellied parrot on the island.

      The cats are not native to the island, are feral, and the parrot in question isn't only rare - it's an endangered species, with only 100 to 200 in existence.

      JOSIE TAYLOR: Armed with binoculars, the Environment Minister led a trek through the scrub to the grassy roosting site of the orange-bellied parrot. None were spotted.

      (to Ian Campbell) Do you feel a special affinity for this bird?

      IAN CAMPBELL: Nothing particularly special. But quite frankly, if you look at the bare numbers that are associated with it, you know, 50 breeding pairs, if you see 18 on one day, you've seen a large chunk of the species.

      More info here

      Efforts to save this rare bird from extinction are being made by the State Governments of South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria, The Commonwealth Government, Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union (RAOU) and World Wildlife Fund (Australia).

      Australia's Orange-bellied Parrot can be ranked with the Giant Panda, Whooping Crane and Siberian Tiger as amongst the rarest and most endangered of the Wildlife. Only 100 to 200 individuals still exist.

      Concern for the plight of the Orange-bellied Parrot is so great that the State Governments of Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, the Commonwealth Government, the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union and the World Wildlife Fund have joined forces in an effort to build up its numbers and save it from extinction.

      Don't you think your foot would be better directed at the behinds of the people who let their cats loose?

    3. Re:... but not breaking any laws ... by BalmyBrute · · Score: 1

      The part that troubles me is that the man kills the cats. I would agree with his actions if he were to simply transport the cats to a place where they would pose less of a threat

    4. Re:... but not breaking any laws ... by tomhudson · · Score: 1

      People who leave their cats to roam free are responsible for all those scrawny, disease-ridded kittens you find dead on the sidewalk. Killing the cat may be a harsh lesson, but ultimately, there's less suffering.

      I would never dream of letting my dogs roam free ... like cats, they could get hit by a car, freeze to death in the winter, mauled by other animals, mistreated by kids with bb guns, etc. Why people think their cats are immune from these problems is beyond me.